Those aren't seconds, but frames. If you notice the ones at the top are 17, but the ones at the bottom are 18. It's entirely possible that a frame (1/30th of a second) elapsed while the shutter was rolling down.

Just the fact that this pompous stage is compared to someones living room should tell you about the pecuniary circumstances of Mr. Romney :-).

The most ambitious element of stagecraft, however, will be the podium — which features 13 different video screens — the largest about 29 feet by 12 feet, the smallest about 8 feet by 8 feet and movable. All the screens will be framed in dark wood.

“Even the frames are designed to give it a sense that you’re not looking at a stage, you’re looking into someone’s living room,” said Russ Schriefer, one of Mr. Romney’s senior advisers who is running the convention planning for the campaign.